Jun 11, 2019

Alabama governor signs chemical castration bill into law

Rebecca Falconer

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey. Photo: Gov. Kay Ivey/Facebook

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signed a bill into law Monday requiring sex offenders whose victims are younger than 13 to be chemically castrated as a condition of parole, AL.com first reported.

The big picture: Alabama's measure requires offenders to take medication to suppress or block testosterone production before they're paroled. If an offender stops treatment, they would be returned to custody for a parole violation. A judge would decide when medication could be stopped.

Why it matters: Alabama is the ninth state to pass a chemical castration law, per the OLR Research Report. Rights groups oppose the practice. Randall Marshall, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union Alabama chapter, told WTVM it's "cruel," it misunderstands what sexual assault is about, and it could violate the 8th amendment.

What they're saying: State Rep. Steve Hurst (R-Calhoun County), who introduced the bill, said it will stop people from molesting children, per WAVE News.

"How can it be any more inhumane than molesting a small child?"

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Axios

Global coronavirus cases spread as U.S. soldier tests positive in South Korea

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens.

A 23-year-old American soldier stationed at Camp Carroll in South Korea has tested positive to the novel coronavirus, as the outbreak spreads to more countries.

The big picture: COVID-19 has killed more than 2,700 people and infected over 81,000 others. By Wednesday morning, South Korea had the most cases outside China, with 1,146 infections. Europe's biggest outbreak is in Italy, where 322 cases have been confirmed.

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In photos: How coronavirus is impacting cities around the world

Revellers take part in the "Plague Doctors Procession" in Venice on Tuesday night during the usual period of the Carnival festivities, most of which have been cancelled following the coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy. Photo: Andrea Pattaro/AFP via Getty Images

The novel coronavirus has spread from China to infect people in more than 40 countries and territories around the world, killing over 2,700 people.

The big picture: Most of the 80,000 COVID-19 infections have occurred in mainland China. But cases are starting to surge elsewhere. By Wednesday morning, the worst affected countries outside China were South Korea (1,146), where a U.S. soldier tested positive to the virus, Italy (332), Japan (170), Iran (95) and Singapore (91). Just Tuesday, new cases were confirmed in Switzerland, Croatia and Algeria.

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Debate night: Candidates' last face-off before Super Tuesday

Sanders, Biden, Klobuchar and Steyer in South Carolina on Feb. 25. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Sen. Bernie Sanders wanted to keep his momentum after winning contests in New Hampshire and Nevada, while former Vice President Joe Biden hoped to keep his own campaign alive. The other five candidates were just trying to hang on.

What's happening: Seven contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination were in Charleston, South Carolina, for the tenth debate, just days before the South Carolina primary and a week before Super Tuesday. They spoke, sometimes over each other, about health care, Russian interference in the election, foreign policy the economy, gun control, marijuana, education, and race.

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